Reviews of The Emakoko
Wildlife sightings and reviews
120 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited The Emakoko and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
75% success
3% success
13% success
5% success
87% success
87% success
79% success
78% success
74% success
63% success
56% success
51% success
6% success
3% success
0% success
"The Emakoko review"
All the staff were really attentive and friendly - everyone remembered our names even though we were only there for 2 days. Food was very good, sensible portions with second helpings offered, so no chance of being hungry.
They were willing to drive us out of the park to notable locations in the area but we chose to stay put and relax.
On our first morning the Operations Manager, Rihaz - a professional wildlife photographer and guide - took us on our game drive as our nominated guide was assigned to do an airport pick-up. It was an excellent morning with some great photos of the white rhino, three black rhino posing for us, a herd of zebra drinking, a crocodile, sunrise shots and so much more.
The afternoon drive suffered from heavy rain and we finally asked to return early given the conditions and lack of sightings. Our guide in the afternoon was average and lacked the enthusiasm that all of our other guides had shown at our previous camps. He seemed to be texting on his mobile phone a lot of the time. I had booked to go out early the following morning before sunrise but cancelled after this drive. It was a shame as the Nairobi Nat Park is actually very good especially early in the morning and mid week before the tourist trips arrive from Nairobi City.
The Emakoko is well worth staying at either at the start and/or end of your trip." See all these reviews: 14n in Kenya
"Senior Africa Specialist | East Africa"
Black Rhino
3 sightings
Buffalo
Multiple sightings
Eland
2 sightings
Giraffe
2 sightings
Lion
Multiple sightings
Spotted Hyena
2 sightings
White Rhino
4 sightings
Zebra
2 sightings
"The Emakoko review"
Our room was ok. The sink was cracked and leaked and there were ants in the bath tub. I did not feel that the room was used very much, as cleaning was a bit poor. I do not think I would want to stay in this room overnight.
Our meals were good and staff were very friendly and helpful. Our driver was excellent, staying with us at the airport until we passed the initial security check. Thank you for this." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya
They also apologised for the sink’s cracked enamel, but the leak was caused by a faulty bottle trap underneath the basin. After receiving this feedback, the lodge took a full inventory of the washbasins in every room, and subsequently made several minor repairs and improvements.
Small ants are not uncommon visitors and The Emakoko do their best to keep them at bay, but they prefer not to use insecticides etc. They were very sorry overall for the unsatisfactory appearance and condition of this room, and they thanked the guests for bringing it to their attention.
"East Africa Manager"
"The Emakoko review"
Our group was day staying at Emakoko awaiting our flights home. We ate lunch and dinner there, and had rooms to stay in between meals. The rooms were absolutely amazing.
To their credit, the staff saw my struggles and moved us from our room up to the The House, which can also be rented to vacation in. Absolutely beautiful!! And when dinner time came, I only had to traverse down stairs, none going up. From there we left for the airport after our meal.
The Emakoko is gorgeous, and I recommend staying, but only if you are not mobility challenged.
However, we were not impressed with the National Park. We saw 2 Ostrich, probably 6 very skinny Lioness, a few Giraffe, and one Black Rhino that looked absolutely sickly. I would not pay to go, but it was part of our tour." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya
"East Africa Manager"
Black Rhino
1 sighting
Eland
1 sighting
Giraffe
1 sighting
Lion
1 sighting
"The Emakoko review"
We had a serious ant infestation in our room that was not resolved while we were there.
It would have been helpful to move us rather than spraying the ants while we were there.
It was not possible to use the bathtub because of the ants, and although I had my suitcase on the far side of the room, it got ants in it." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya
"East Africa Manager"
Black Rhino
1 sighting
Buffalo
Multiple sightings
Eland
Multiple sightings
Giraffe
Multiple sightings
Lion
Multiple sightings
Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings
Wildebeest
Multiple sightings
Zebra
Multiple sightings
"The Emakoko review"
Our room at the top of the site was beautiful with lovely views over the gorge. We enjoyed riding the lift - a very different experience.
It was the perfect place to relax and refresh before the long journey home.
We had a couple of game drives in the park with our guide Jackson. He also did the honours collecting us from Wilson and dropping us at the international terminal." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya
Black Rhino
10 sightings
Buffalo
1 sighting
Eland
1 sighting
Giraffe
5 sightings
Spotted Hyena
3 sightings
White Rhino
10 sightings
Zebra
6 sightings
"The Emakoko review"
Rooms were lovely and food of high quality.
Excellent game drives through national park with a friendly and knowledgeable guide." See all these reviews: 15n in Kenya
Black Rhino
5 sightings
Eland
6 sightings
Giraffe
8 sightings
Lion
5 sightings
White Rhino
1 sighting
"The Emakoko review"
However, the major complaint I had was not knowing what to expect at the Nairobi airport.
It was absolutely chaotic - through no fault of the driver - but rather the fact I had no idea what to expect other than being told it would take awhile to get through. That was an understatement - yowzer!" See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya
Black Rhino
Multiple sightings
"The Emakoko review"
Black Rhino
1 sighting
White Rhino
1 sighting
"The Emakoko review"
Beautiful room, and the service was awesome, and the food delicious!" See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya
Black Rhino
1 sighting
Giraffe
1 sighting
White Rhino
Multiple sightings
"The Emakoko: Excellent intro to Kenya"
Our room was extremely comfortable, open, attractive with a very nice deck. The food, with new menus being introduced by a visiting chef, was terrific and the service was warm, friendly and fun.
Every one on the staff was excellent, particularly June, who took care of our room and really helped out when a group of monkeys invaded our room, stealing my medicine and scattering all kinds of things.
Our guide, Peter, was responsive and well-informed but a little too soft-spoken and at times hard to understand." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya
Giraffe
Multiple sightings
Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings
White Rhino
Multiple sightings
Zebra
Multiple sightings
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